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By Zaheer Jan*
Privacy at Risk: Special Needs Children and the Social Media Exploitation Trap
Why Are Child Rights Bodies Silent?
Children with special needs are guaranteed equal rights under the law, yet across India, these protections often remain either ignored or poorly enforced. Despite legislative safeguards such as the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, and the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, many children continue to struggle for access to education, therapy, and healthcare. The scarcity of inclusive schooling, specialised therapeutic services, and adaptive healthcare systems only deepens their exclusion, leaving countless children without the structured support essential for their development.
In recent years, however, an unsettling trend has begun to take shape. Rehabilitation centres, child development institutions, special schools, and even NGOs are increasingly transforming private therapy sessions into public spectacles. Intimate, deeply personal moments of children are being recorded and circulated on social media platforms. Spaces that are meant to nurture trust, healing, and emotional safety are instead being used to attract attention, generate revenue, or promote institutional visibility. In this process, children are reduced from individuals with rights and dignity to instruments for content creation and fundraising, often at the cost of their confidence and long-term well-being.
The Importance of Confidentiality in Therapy
The effectiveness of therapy—whether addressing mental health, developmental delays, or physical rehabilitation—rests fundamentally on confidentiality. Children are able to express their fears, frustrations, and experiences only when they feel secure in the knowledge that their words and actions will remain private. This trust is protected by both professional ethics and legal frameworks.
When therapy sessions are recorded or shared online, that trust is irreparably broken. Children may withdraw emotionally, hesitant to communicate openly. Parents, too, may not fully understand the implications of consent in such contexts, leading to misunderstandings. For therapists, this creates a profound ethical conflict. Ultimately, the essential bond between child and therapist—central to healing and growth—begins to erode.
Social Media Exploitation
The rise of social media has cultivated an environment where every achievement, struggle, or milestone is packaged as “content.” Within this culture, some institutions and influencers have begun exploiting therapy sessions, presenting children’s challenges as narratives or case studies for public consumption. While these posts are often framed as celebrations of progress, they simultaneously expose sensitive personal information to vast, unseen audiences.
The consequences are particularly severe for children who are unable to give informed consent. The psychological and social impact of such exposure can be both immediate and enduring.
Parents of children with special needs have increasingly voiced serious concerns about the misuse of their children’s images and videos. One parent from Nawakadal in Srinagar recounted a troubling experience. After enrolling his eight-year-old child in a rehabilitation centre run by an NGO—paying a monthly fee for one-hour therapy sessions—he was shocked to discover his child’s photograph posted on Facebook by a Mumbai-based NGO seeking donations.
According to him, the rehabilitation centre had shared the photograph without the family’s knowledge or consent. When confronted, both the centre and the NGO were unable to justify why the child’s image had been used for fundraising, especially when the parents were already paying for the services. The incident has sparked widespread concern among families in the region, who view such practices as clear violations of privacy and child rights.
Parents are now urging government authorities and child rights bodies to take decisive action. They are calling for thorough investigations, strict enforcement of guidelines, and transparent systems to ensure that children are never again used for fundraising or promotional activities without explicit and informed consent.
Legal Protections vs. Reality
India’s legal framework does recognise and protect children’s rights, including the obligation of therapists and institutions to maintain confidentiality. Yet, the reality on the ground reveals a stark gap between legal intent and actual practice. Enforcement remains weak, and digital exploitation continues largely unchecked.
Therapy sessions, meant to provide care and support, are being shared online without oversight, exposing children to stigma and potential lifelong harm. The absence of clear, enforceable regulations governing the sharing of therapeutic content in digital spaces has created an environment where violations occur with minimal accountability.
The Silence of Child Rights Bodies
In such a context, one would expect child rights commissions and advocacy groups to respond decisively. Instead, many have remained silent or reacted only after a significant delay. This inaction can be attributed to multiple factors: outdated privacy frameworks, a disproportionate focus on physical abuse over digital violations, and the mistaken belief that parental consent alone legitimises such practices.
This silence is not neutral—it sends a troubling signal that the digital exploitation of vulnerable children is acceptable, or at least not urgent. Even where Child Welfare Committees have issued circulars prohibiting the sharing of therapy sessions or images of children with special needs on social media, these directives are frequently ignored. In many cases, they exist only on paper.
Some institutions go further, using children’s identities to solicit donations under categories such as Zakat, Khariyat, or general fundraising appeals. Such practices deepen the commodification of vulnerability, turning children’s lived experiences into tools for financial gain.
The Vulnerability of Children in Digital Spaces
Children with special needs face heightened risks in digital environments. Those who are neurodivergent or living with physical disabilities may not fully comprehend the long-term implications of being recorded or shared online. Therapy sessions often reveal behaviours, emotional responses, and developmental progress that could be misunderstood, stigmatised, or misused.
Because these children cannot always advocate for themselves, the responsibility for safeguarding their rights falls squarely on caregivers, therapists, and institutions. Any lapse in this duty can have lasting consequences.
Filming Therapy Sessions: An Ethical Breach
Recording or sharing therapy sessions is not merely a lapse in judgment—it constitutes a serious ethical violation. Professionals in rehabilitation and special education are bound by strict standards designed to protect the dignity, autonomy, and best interests of the child.
When therapy is used as material for marketing, testimonials, or social media visibility, it undermines the very purpose of care. Human vulnerability is commodified, and the sanctity of therapeutic spaces is compromised.
The Lasting Impact of Digital Exploitation
The effects of such exposure extend far beyond the moment of posting. Children may become targets of bullying, face identity theft, or attract unwanted attention. Once personal data enters the digital domain, it is virtually impossible to erase.
The emotional toll can intensify under public scrutiny, while repeated exposure reinforces harmful stereotypes—portraying children with special needs as objects of curiosity rather than individuals with agency and rights. These experiences can shape their educational opportunities, employment prospects, and personal relationships well into adulthood.
A Call to Action
Protecting the digital rights of children with special needs demands urgent and coordinated intervention. Rehabilitation centres must implement strict social media policies that prohibit the filming of therapy sessions; if content is shared for educational purposes, the identity of the child must be fully protected. Child rights organisations need to actively monitor and address privacy violations within therapeutic settings. Legal frameworks must evolve to recognise and enforce children’s rights over their digital identities. Caregivers should be made aware of the long-term risks associated with sharing such content, while professional bodies must ensure that therapists and educators are adequately trained in ethical digital practices.
Every child deserves an environment rooted in trust, privacy, and dignity. In an increasingly digital world, safeguarding these principles is not optional—it is a moral, ethical, and legal obligation. Protecting the integrity of therapeutic spaces is essential not only for individual growth but also for building a society that genuinely respects the rights and autonomy of its most vulnerable members.
*Zaheer Jan is a Srinagar-based senior paediatric rehab therapist & social worker (MSW) working for child & disability rights.
